


Resolved

by FestiveFerret



Category: Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Confessions, First Kiss, Fluff, Happy Ending, Kisses, M/M, Missed Chances, New Year's Eve, sappy af
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-14
Updated: 2017-12-14
Packaged: 2019-02-14 21:58:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,191
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13016985
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FestiveFerret/pseuds/FestiveFerret
Summary: Okay. He just had to approach it like a mission. Objective: Kiss Tony Stark at midnight.





	Resolved

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to ashes0909 for beta <3
> 
> More holiday fluff and kisses!

Steve perched on the arm of his sofa and jiggled his foot on the carpet. He stared at the clock on the TV. It was 9:45 and he’d been expected at the party half an hour ago. He could hear the low thump of music even through the fourteen floors between his and the open common space. When he’d asked Tony how many people he’d invited, he’d said, “All of fucking New York,” and by the sound of it, that was pretty accurate.   
  


Steve twisted his phone between his hands. He had four texts from Natasha, asking where he was. Of course, Tony hadn’t noticed…

And that was the problem, wasn’t it? Tony hadn’t noticed, wouldn’t notice. Steve had tried everything short of grabbing the man and kissing him. He’d flirted, joked, hinted, innuendoed, stared, and touched. And nothing. So, well, the only thing left was grabbing the man and kissing him, and there was one time of year when that was perfectly acceptable.

A cheer went up from the crowd downstairs. Steve’s phone buzzed with another text.

Okay. He just had to approach it like a mission. Objective: Kiss Tony Stark at midnight. And if that didn’t get his attention? Well, it probably meant he wasn’t interested and never would be. In that case, Steve would have to let it go, get over it… but that was a problem for next year’s Steve Rogers. He chuckled to himself then stood. He estimated about two and half more minutes before Natasha came up to find him herself, so he straightened his clothes, took a steadying breath, and pushed out of his apartment.

The party was even more packed than he expected. He spent the first hour working his way through the crowd, getting a drink, and stopping to chat and take pictures with anyone who asked. Tony had cordoned off the upper balcony for VIPs, including the Avengers and their guests. Even that space was packed - Tony alone had a rather startling number of special guests - but it still felt like a relief after the crush of the main party. 

Natasha spotted him almost immediately. He’d texted her that he was at the party so she wouldn’t activate his GPS tracker or something equally horrifying, but she’d been upstairs the whole time and clearly didn’t think he was worth pushing through the unwashed masses for.

She sidled up beside him now and pressed a kiss to his cheek. “Having a good time?”

He shot her a wry grin. “I’m having a... time.”

She smiled and twined her arm through his. “Come on. Meet some people.”

The next hour was a blur. He hung off Natasha’s arm and let her steer him through the party. He barely noticed the time passing until suddenly everyone was gathering towards the TV and shuffling into an excited mass. Five minutes. 

Steve tensed next to Natasha and spun around, trying to get his eyes on Tony, while scrambling to figure out what he was going to use as an excuse to leave her. But she winked, shot a look over Steve’s shoulder, then pressed a kiss to his check before disappearing into the press of people. Steve turned and there, right next to him, was Tony.

“Steve!” Tony crowed, waving his glass at him. “Where you been?”

Steve couldn’t help but smile back. “I’ve been around. Nice party, Tony.”

“It is, isn’t it.” Tony looked around in satisfaction. Steve noted with quiet appreciation that Tony’s glass was filled with unspiked soda and his breath was clear, despite his usual vivacious attitude. “Everyone seems to be having a good time.” It was almost a question.

“Very much so.”

“You, you’re having a good time?”

“Of course.” Steve resisted the urge to say,  _ Now that I’m with you.  _ He smiled softly instead and Tony caught his eye and smiled back. 

The crowd cheered again, and their attention was drawn back to the giant TV.  The announcers chattered about the year gone by, joking about their resolutions and how many people would be showing up at the gym hungover tomorrow for the first and only time. The crowd pushed and jostled, and Steve found himself having to fight to keep his position next to Tony. 

Bruce had appeared on Tony’s other side, and he shot Steve a little wave, eyeing the crowd around him with some apprehension. Steve watched the TV nervously, psyching himself up for the inevitable countdown, and his mission objective, looming ever closer. He was shoulder to shoulder with Tony here, so it wouldn’t be hard to turn to him, catch his eye - he should catch his eye around “two” so he would have time to make it clear what he was going to do. And Tony would go for it, because Tony would go for anything at a party, and it was the perfect opportunity to brush it off if it went badly. Steve would pour his heart into the kiss, and if Tony still rejected him? At least he would know what he was missing.

“Ten!” the crowd shouted, and Steve startled, realizing he had drifted off into his own mind. He looked around in a panic, but Tony was still beside him, watching the TV and raising his drink in a toast to each number.

“Nine!”

“Eight!” Steve twisted his hands together and took a few short sharp breaths. Across the room he saw Jane and Thor with their arms around each other. Phil and Clint were on one of the sofas, fingers entwined between them. Nat appeared out of the crowd, like an apparition, on Bruce’s other side and slipped her arm around his waist. He smiled.

“Seven! Six! Five!” All the Avengers were paired off, and Steve was standing here with Tony. This was going to happen. He was going to find out what it felt like to kiss Tony Stark.

“Four! Three!” Steve looked up, and Tony shot him a look and a smile, bringing a noisemaker between his teeth and blowing through it. His eyes drifted back to the screen.

“Two!” Steve braced himself, squeezing his hands into fists and turning towards Tony.

But Tony was turning away. He had an arm around his shoulders. 

“One!”

Rhodey was there. Grabbing Tony with an indulgent grin. Tony laughed and pressed his lips to Rhodey’s cheek with an overdone smack. Rhodey pulled him into a headlock, groaning and rolling his eyes as they wrestled goodnaturedly.

Steve had missed his chance.

He’d been right there and he’d missed it.  

Steve stared blankly at the two of them while the couples around him embraced and cheered. Nat and Bruce shared a sweet, soft, peck, then her eyes flicked over and caught Steve’s. He turned away immediately, sure he was broadcasting everything at maximum volume. He pushed his way over to the bar, just to give himself something to do. His hand was shaking. He’d geared himself up for this so intensely, and in one split second he’d lost it.

As he poured himself a drink of something random, he was struck with the sudden horrible thought that Tony might have done that on purpose. He could probably tell that Steve was planning to kiss him, and he’d grabbed Rhodey to make sure it wouldn’t happen. It was his way of letting Steve down easy, not letting him getting his hopes up. He’d been so  _ stupid. _ And now, somehow, he had to find a way to erase a crush that had been eating him up for months. How do you just let that go?

Steve sulked by the bar, resolutely avoiding catching the eye of anyone who knew him. He took advantage of one of the few benefits of the modern age of technology and glued himself to his phone. 

About half an hour later, either he caught a whisp of his name floating by, or his ears really were burning, because he looked up sharply and Natasha and Tony were standing on the other side of the room, looking at him. The party had cleared out somewhat - about half the guests deciding to leave once they’d seen midnight come and go, so he had a clear line of sight to the pair. He dropped his eyes again when he realized they were talking about him, but used his, not inconsiderable, peripheral vision to keep them in sight. 

Nat looked bossy and Tony looked sad. Tony gestured over towards Steve’s spot and Nat nodded, then patted him on the shoulder. Tony said something, shrugged, then turned to go, marching across the room towards Steve.

Steve panicked. Tony was going to ask him why he wasn’t enjoying the party anymore, and he was going to have to come up with a lie. He glanced around the room in desperation but nothing sprung to mind and then suddenly, Tony was there.

“Hi,” Tony said.

“Hi.” Steve willed his wild heartbeat to calm.  _ This is over,  _ he told it.  _ Stop freaking out every time you see him.  _

“You alright?” Tony asked, tilting his head to the side.

Steve shrugged. “Sure.”

“I just thought, you know, maybe cause the whole frozen for seventy years thing, maybe New Years is a sore subject. Or something.”

“No no,” Steve hastened to assure him. “That… it’s weird, but it doesn’t bother me. I’m… settled.”

“Okay, good.” Tony shook his glass and the ice cubes clinked against the sides. “Good party?”

“Sure.” Steve tried to nod in a convincing way. Tony looked unconvinced.

Then he looked kind of nervous. “Uh, Steve, I have to ask you something.” He paused. “Were you trying - did you want to kiss me at midnight? Did you go for that and I missed it?”

Steve opened and closed his mouth several times. There really was no way to answer that question that didn’t screw him over. If he said no, that was it, Tony would never know how he felt. And if he said yes, he was taking a big chance. 

But it was a chance he’d meant to take half an hour ago and screwed it up so…

“Uh, yeah, I guess I was.” He resisted the urge to squirm. “But it’s fine.”

“God, Steve, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to blow you off. I didn’t notice. I mean, you were there, but this woman on your other side and she’d been flirting with you all night and I kind of thought…”

There had been? Steve hadn’t even noticed a woman. His entire attention had been on Tony. “Oh. Uh no. I don’t know who you mean. I just thought…” He trailed off, having no idea where that sentence was heading.

Tony looked pained and deeply apologetic, and Steve wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or not. Sorry he hadn’t gotten a kiss from Steve? Or sorry that Steve was clearly off his rocker and Tony was going to have to let him down gently?

“That’s - but. Well, shit.” Tony put his hands on his hips. “And I wasted it on fucking Rhodey. I can kiss that asshole any day of the year.”

Steve opened his mouth to say that Tony was welcome to kiss  _ him  _ any day of the year too, but then Tony had his sleeve and was marching off with great purpose, dragging Steve behind him. Steve went dizzy at the wild thought that Tony was taking him somewhere to kiss him, but he’d given his head a shake by the time they reached the elevators and realized that was crazy. Knowing Tony, they were probably on their way to prank someone. Probably Clint. “Tony, what are we -”

“Shh -” Tony put a finger to his lips. “It’s a surprise.” He beamed at Steve, and Steve couldn’t help but smile back. Tony didn’t seem to realize what the kiss had meant to Steve. He was acting like he’d hurt Steve feelings because he hadn’t noticed that Steve wanted to be his best friend at midnight as much as Rhodey. He hadn’t noticed that Steve was angling for something more.

So, Tony was going to give him some sort of gift to try and repair their friendship, and Steve realized with gut-twisting certainty that it didn’t matter. He wouldn’t give up being friends with Tony for anything, no matter how many times he felt rejected for more. He could mend his broken heart, but he needed Tony in his life, however he was willing to be.

The elevator opened at the workshop, and Steve followed Tony across the floor indulgently. “Come on!” Tony grinned at him then tapped his watch and flicked his wrist. The suit burst to life and slammed into Tony, encasing him in metal.

Steve watched with barely contained glee. He  _ loved  _ the armour, and he loved watching Tony put it on. It was like a beautifully choreographed dance. Every piece knew where it belonged and which order it needed to snap on in order to blend seamlessly with the pieces beside it.

When Tony was fully suited up he held out his hand and Steve took it without hesitation. Tony had taken him flying plenty of times and Steve loved it every time. There was no thrill, no roller coaster or fast car, better than swooping around New York in Iron Man’s arms. Tony hauled him up until they were chest to chest, then fired up the repulsors. One of the workshop windows slid open, and Steve let out a whoop when they hit open air.

They took two wide turns around the tower, and Steve stared at the tiny people still partying inside. He wondered if Tony was going to take him through Times Square to wave at fans and see New Years in a way no one else would get to, but instead Tony flattened out and shot off full-blast, leaving the city behind.

Steve didn’t have his comm in and the wind was too wild for Tony to hear him, so he just hung on and enjoyed the rush of the sky above him and the ground below. A sheet of shimmering stars blanketed the night, and Steve found all the tension he’d been carrying around faded away in the face of so much beauty. That, and the giddy relief that came with knowing that whatever Tony had up his sleeve, he’d chosen to leave a party full of rich, funny, beautiful, smart people in order to be with Steve, and, kiss or no, that was the absolute best way to ring in the new year.

They had to be flying for at least twenty minutes when Tony finally touched down and set Steve on the ground beside him. Steve looked around.

“We’re in a field.”

“Yes we are!” The faceplate popped back, and Tony was grinning. A moment later, the suit popped open and Tony stepped out.

“It’s the middle of winter, Tony, you’re going to freeze.”

“I’m fine.”

Steve looked around again, searching for the punchline. “Why are we here?” He honestly didn’t care; the flight had set him all windblown and wild, adrenaline pumping pleasantly through his veins. 

Tony shoved his hand in his pocket and came up with his phone. He turned the screen so Steve could see it.

“What - I don’t…?” Steve looked closer. “Why is the time 11:57?”

“We’re in Illinois.”

“What?” Steve stared at the phone. But… “Did you fly me through an entire timezone?”

“Yup.” Tony shuffled a little closer, then tapped out a few things on his phone. A countdown timer appeared, working its way towards midnight. They both stared down at the screen, the tops of their heads nearly touching between them.

“Tony… did you fly me through an entire timezone so I could get a second chance to kiss you at midnight?” It was terrifying to ask, but Steve had to know, had to know he was reading this tight.

“Yup.” Tony tipped his chin up and caught Steve’s eye. And he was smiling, soft and easy - welcoming. “And this time there’s no one else around to steal it.”

“You’re crazy.”

Tony shifted, gently mocking sliding into beautifully serious. “But that’s why you like me, right?”

Steve nodded, moving closer. “Yes. That’s why I like you. A lot.”

Tony held up his phone, his eyes still fixed on Steve, and JARVIS’ soft voice started counting down. “Ten… nine... eight… seven… six… five…”

Tony’s hand came up to wrap gently around Steve’s wrist and Steve moved in, guiding Tony in close. He brought his own hand up to cup Tony’s jaw, his thumb brushing along Tony’s cheek. Little crinkles appeared beside Tony’s eyes when he smiled and he leaned into the touch.

“Four… three… two…” 

Steve leaned down and his nose slid along Tony’s. His stomach flipped. They were really here. They were going to do this.

“One.”

Tony closed the last scant inch between them, pressing his lips to Steve’s. It wasn’t some chaste peck or joke kiss like he’d given Rhodey. This kiss was real and deep and long. Steve’s whole body tingled, on fire. It felt like fireworks were going off under his skin as his lips moved against Tony’s. He was so warm, and soft and  _ here. _

And then real fireworks were going off because even though they were in the middle of nowhere, someone on a farm nearby must have been setting them off. They pulled back, both laughing, staying clung to each other, alone in a middle of a field with the empty armour standing guard nearby. It was utterly absurd and perfect.

Tony grinned, bright and giddy. “Want to go again? I could have us in Wyoming in twenty-three minutes. Lots of time for practice.” He waggled his eyebrows, and Steve laughed, pulling him in close again.

“Nah, I think the second New Years was pretty much un-toppable.” He recklessly brushed his fingers through Tony’s hair and the other man purred into the touch, making Steve’s heart flip-flop. “We should go back to the party…”

Tony tipped forward until all his weight was on Steve’s chest. He batted his eyelashes up at Steve. “Fuck the party.”

Steve laughed again. A shudder rattled down Tony’s spine, and Steve rubbed his hands up and down his arms. “You’re cold.”

“I don’t care.”

Steve bent down and kissed him again, only wondering after it was too late if that was allowed, or if the kiss had been a one-time thing. But Tony sunk into the kiss, drawing it out.

“Mmm, now I really don’t care.”

Steve pulled back long enough to slip out of his jacket, then lay it over Tony’s shoulders. Tony grabbed the lapels and tugged it closer around him. Another round of fireworks started and they turned to watch them. Tony tipped sideways and rested his head against Steve’s chest, tucked against his side. It was everything - that moment was everything. 

Steve wrapped his arm around Tony’s shoulder and held him close, turning to brush his nose through his hair, pulling in his scent. The fireworks crackled and sputtered, lighting up the sky in white and red and green and gold. 

“Happy New Year,” Steve whispered.


End file.
